THE NAME OF PALAWAN

DID YOU KNOW WHY PALAWAN BECAME PALAWAN? OR WHERE IT CAME FROM?
IF NOT THEN LET’S FIND IT OUT BY READING THIS;

IN PRESENT DAY, IF YOU HEARD THE NAME OF PALAWAN. THE FIRST

THING THAT COMES INTO YOUR MIND ARE THE BEAUTIFUL ISLANDS AND
BEACHES. BUT THAT’S NOT THE SITUATION DURING 70'S UNTIL EARLY 90'S. THE
PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO GO TO PALAWAN , BECAUSE OF LEPROSY (KETONG)
AND MALARIA. AND THE OTHER THING WAS SENDING HIGH PROFILE INMATES
TO PALAWAN CAME FROM MUNTILUPA. BUT THOSE THINGS HAS NO
CONNECTION IN NAMING PALAWAN.

BECAUSE ONE OF THE POSSIBILITIES WAS CAME FROM OUR NATIVE

TRIBE THAT LIVED IN THE ISLAND LONG TIME AGO, THEY CALLED IT
"PAL'WAR"- A TYPE OF PLANT THAT CAN BE FOUND IN THE PLACE. I HAVE NO
PICTURE WHAT KIND OF PLANT IT IS. I DID SEARCH ON THE INTERNET, AND THE
PICTURE THAT APPEARED WAS “CUCUMBER”. IM NOT SURE IF IT ‘S REALLY
PAL’WAR. MAYBE, BECAUSE OF THE SHAPE SIMILAR TO THE ISLAND OF
PALAWAN.

FOR THE INDIANS, THEY CALLED PALAWAN AS "TERRITORY". AND

WHEN CHINESE ARRIVED IN PALAWAN IN ORDER TO BARTER, THEY NAMED IT
"PALAU-YU". MEANING "THE LAND OF BEAUTIFUL HARBOUR".

IN 1818, WHEN SPANIARDS STARTS TO ENVADE THE ISLAND. IT WAS

CALLED "PROVINCE OF CALMIANES" AND THE CAPITAL WAS "TAYTAY". IN 1859,
BECAUSE TAYTAY WAS FAR FROM OTHER PROVINCES AND ISLANDS,
TRANPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION WAS I BIG PROBLEM. SO THEY
DECIDED TO SEPERATE THE PALAWAN INTO TWO PROVINCES. AND THEY
CALLED IT "CASTILLA AND ASTURIAS". CASTILLA WAS COMPOSED OF CUYO,
CALAMIAN, BUSUANGA AND THE CAPITAL WAS TAYTAY. AND FROM THE SOUTH
PART OF TAYTAY GOING TO BALABAC BECAME "ASTURIAS", AND THE CAPITAL
BEFORE WAS ASUNCION,NOW KNOWN AS PUERTO PRINCESA.

AGAIN IN 1862, THEY CHANGED THE NAME OF THE TWO PROVINCES. IT

BECAME “CALAMIANES AND PARAGUA”. AND IN 1873 FROM TAYTAY BECAME
PUERTO PRINCESA AS THE CAPITAL. SOON AFTER, IT WAS SEPERATED INTO
THREE PROVINCES THAT THEY CALLED IT “ POLITIKO-MILITAR”. THE NAMES
BECAME CALAMIANES, PARAGUA AND BALABAC. BUT IT WAS STILL KNOWN AS
“PARAGUA”, BECAUSE OF THE SHAPE SIMILAR TO THE "CLOSED UMBRELLA".
THE OTHER STORY WAS THE SHORTAGE OF CLEAN WATER IN THE ISLAND, AND
WHEN THEY FOUND ONE. THEY CALLED IT
“ PARA AGUA” MEANING “FOR WATER”.AND WHEN THE AMERICANS ARRIVED IN
1903 THEY CHANGED IT TO “PALAWAN” THAT WE KNOWN TODAY.
AND THE HISTORY SEEMS TO BE REPEATED.